Code
Updates
code developments
and announcements
Figure 1. 2015 WFCM in 2015 IBC/IRC.
T
he 2015 Edition of the Wood Frame
Construction Manual (WFCM) for
One- and Two-Family Dwellings (ANSI/
AWC WFCM-2015) was approved on
October 10, 2014 as an ANSI American National
Standard (Figure 1). The 2015 WFCM was developed by the American Wood Council’s (AWC)
Wood Design Standards Committee and is referenced in the 2015 International Residential Code
(IRC) and 2015 International Building Code (IBC).
Primary changes to the 2015 WFCM are listed
here and are subsequently covered in more detail:
•Tabulated spans for lumber framing members
now reflect changes to design values for visual
grades of Southern Pine as referenced in the
2015 National Design Specification® (NDS®)
for Wood Construction Supplement: Design
Values for Wood Construction.
•New tables provide prescriptive wood-frame
solutions for rafters and ceiling joists in
response to new live load deflection limits
for ceilings using flexible finishes (including
gypsum wallboard) or brittle finishes
(including plaster and stucco) as adopted in
the 2015 IRC.
•Header spans revised to reflect L/240
live load deflection limits for members
supporting only a roof and ceiling as
shown in IRC and IBC tables.
The WFCM includes prescriptive and engineered design provisions for wood wall, floor,
and roof systems and their connections. A range
of structural elements are covered, including sawn
lumber, structural glued laminated timber, wood
structural sheathing, I-joists, and trusses.
ASCE 7-10 Load Provisions
Tabulated engineered and prescriptive design provisions in WFCM Chapters 2 and 3, respectively,
are based on the following loads from ASCE 7-10
Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other
Structures (Figure 2):
•0-70 psf ground snow loads
Figure 2. ASCE 7-10 wind, seismic,
and snow loads used.
•110-195 mph 700-year return period
3-second gust basic wind speeds
•Seismic Design Categories A-D
Additional information concerning changes to
snow, wind, and seismic loads in ASCE
7-10 compared to
ASCE 7-05 is discussed in a paper titled
2012 WFCM Changes
(STRUCTURE® magazine, August 2014).
Changes to the 2015 Wood
Frame Construction Manual
Lumber Framing Spans
Tabulated spans for lumber framing members
now reflect changes to design values referenced
in the 2015 National Design Specification® for
Wood Construction Supplement: Design Values
for Wood Construction. Notably, the 2015 NDS
Supplement incorporates new design values for
visually-graded Southern Pine. The American
Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) Board
of Review approved changes to these design
values for all grades and all sizes of visuallygraded Southern Pine and Mixed Southern Pine
lumber, with a recommended effective date of
June 1, 2013.
Rafters and Ceiling Joists
with Brittle Finishes
Tables for ceiling joist spans/capacities, rafter
spans/capacities, and hip and valley beam capacity
requirements have been revised to clarify the live
load deflection basis of these deflection criteria,
and to associate live load deflection limits to cases
with “no ceiling attached” and ceilings with “flexible finishes” and “brittle finishes.” Tables are
added to address deflection criteria of L/ΔLL=360
for brittle finishes (Figure 3). Flexible finishes
are denoted as “(including gypsum board)” and
brittle finishes are denoted as “(including plaster
and stucco).”
Posted with permission by STRUCTURE® magazine
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By John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E.,
Peter Mazikins, P.Eng and
Michelle Kam-Biron, S.E., P.E.
John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E.
is Vice President of Technology
Transfer, Peter Mazikins, P.Eng
is Senior Manager of Engineering
Standards, and Michelle KamBiron, S.E., P.E. is Director of
Education with the American
Wood Council. Contact Mr.
Showalter (bshowalter@awc.org)
with questions.
Header Spans Supporting
Roof and Ceiling
Roof header span tables have been revised to be based
on L/ΔLL=240 instead of L/ΔLL=360. The L/ΔLL=240
deflection limit basis is consistent with deflection limits
for members supporting roofs and ceilings as shown in
IRC Table R802.5.1 and IBC Table 2308.7.2 for rafters
with ceilings attached to rafters and IRC Table R802.4
and IBC Table 2308.7.2 for ceiling joists, respectively.
Applicability to
Non-Residential Structures
New language in IBC 2309 allows for use of the WFCM
for non-residential structures within its scoping limitations:
(IBC) 2309.1 Wood Frame Construction
Manual. Structural design in accordance with
the AWC WFCM shall be permitted for buildings
assigned to Risk Category I or II subject to the limitations of Section 1.1.3 of the AWC WFCM and
the load assumptions contained therein. Structural
elements beyond these limitations shall be designed
in accordance with accepted engineering practice.
WFCM 1.1.3 references Table 1 Applicability Limitations
(Figure 4) which outlines building dimensions and load
assumptions. While WFCM provisions are intended
primarily for detached one-and two-family dwellings
due to the floor live load assumption associated with
those occupancies, many of the WFCM provisions for
specific geographic wind, seismic, and snow loads may
be applicable for other buildings. For example, wind
provisions for sizing of roof sheathing, wall sheathing,
fastening schedules, uplift straps, shear anchorage, shear
wall lengths, and wall studs for out of plane wind loads
are included in the WFCM and are applicable for other
use groups within the load limitations of the WFCM
tables. Similarly, roof rafter size and spacing for heavy
snow, and shear wall lengths and anchorage for seismic,
are applicable within the load limitations of the WFCM
tables. Examples of non-residential applications include
single-story wood structures or top stories in mixed use
structures in Risk Categories I or II.
Applications outside the scope of the WFCM tabulated
requirements, such as floor joist design for floor live
loads greater than 40 psf and design of supporting gravity elements for the additional floor live load is beyond
the applicability of the WFCM and must be designed
in accordance with accepted engineering practice. This
parallels the approach taken in Section R301.1.3 of the
IRC, which permits unconventional elements of one
and two-family dwellings to be designed per the IBC.
WFCM Availability
The 2015 WFCM is currently available for purchase in electronic format (PDF) only. Once the WFCM Commentary
is updated (which is to be included with the WFCM)
printed copies will be available for purchase. Once the
WFCM Commentary is complete, those who purchased
Figure 3. Excerpt from 2015 WFCM Table 3.25B2 for common lumber ceiling joist spans.
Electronic version posted with permission by STRUCTURE® magazine

February 2015

www.STRUCTUREmag.org
electronic versions of the 2015 WFCM will receive
the WFCM Commentary in electronic format at no
additional charge.
Conclusion
With more governmental focus placed on “community resiliency,” design tools such as the Wood-Frame
Construction Manual become more relevant. The
Manual equips designers with engineered construction methods that result in buildings better able to
withstand damage, and protect occupants should
disaster strike. Since the WFCM was first published
in 1995, AWC has been providing a solution for
design of wood-frame structures to resist natural
disasters. Each successive edition of the standard
continues to provide solutions to more severe events
as required by building codes.
The 2015 WFCM represents the state-of-the-art
for design of one- and two-family dwellings for
high wind, high seismic, and high snow loads.
Its reference in the 2015 IBC and 2015 IRC will
allow for its use in those jurisdictions adopting the latest building code. However, building
officials often accept designs prepared in accordance with newer reference standards even if
the latest building code has not been adopted in
their jurisdiction. IBC 104.11 and IRC R104.11
for alternate materials and design provides the
authority having jurisdiction with that leeway.▪
Figure 4. Reproduction of 2015 WFCM Table 1 Applicability Limitations.
References
American Society of Civil Engineers. ASCE/SEI Standard 7-10 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. Reston, VA. 2010.
American Wood Council. 2015 National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction. Leesburg, VA. 2014.
American Wood Council. 2015 Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings. Leesburg, VA. 2015.
International Code Council. 2015 International Building Code. Washington, DC. 2014.
International Code Council. 2015 International Residential Code. Washington, DC. 2014.
Showalter, John, Bradford Douglas, Philip Line, Peter Mazikins, and Loren Ross. 2012 WFCM Changes. STRUCTURE magazine. August 2014.
The American Wood Council (AWC) is the
voice of North American traditional and engineered wood products, representing over 75%
of the industry. AWC’s engineers, technologists,
scientists, and building code experts develop
state-of-the-art engineering data, technology,
and standards (e.g. NDS) on structural wood
products for use by design professionals, building officials, and wood products manufacturers
to assure the safe and efficient design and use of
wood structural components.
www.awc.org
Electronic version posted with permission by STRUCTURE® magazine
info@awc.org
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February 2015
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